China Hits Top Influencer With $210 Million Fine Over Taxes (1)

China slapped an unprecedented $210 million fine on a top livestreamer for tax evasion, stepping up President Xi Jinping’s crackdown on online influencers who have grown wildly popular in recent years.

Huang Wei -- also known as Viya -- was ordered to pay 1.34 billion yuan in back taxes, late fees and fines, the State Taxation Administration said Monday in a statement on its website. She avoided taxes totaling 643 million yuan by concealing personal income and making false declarations in 2019 and 2020, the statement added.

Shares in China’s largest livestreaming operators and services plunged in New York, ...